Kolkata, May 9 (IANS) A late 11-ball 27 run unbeaten blitz from David Miller and contributions from Glenn Maxwell and Manan Vohra ensured Kings XI Punjab put up a healthy 183/5 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in an Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter here on Saturday.
For KKR, West Indian spinner Sunil Narine returned figures of 4/19 from four overs at the Eden Gardens. The home side was sloppy on the field from the start with Murali Vijay being the beneficiary as three of his catches were spilled.
Living a charmed life, Vijay smashed pacer Umesh Yadav for 18 runs in the third over. But his innings finally ended as Narine castled him soon after.
There were two more chances that went down as Vohra and Wriddhiman Saha knit together a useful partnership with the score reading 75/1 at the halfway stage.
However, Narine was quick to dismiss Vohra (39;34b, 1×4 3×6) just as he held on to a return catch.
Saha carried on picking a few boundaries as Kings reached the triple figure mark in the 14th over. Maxwell and Saha then upped the ante as they belted the Knights’ spinners for 35 runs in two overs which included one of Brad Hogg that yielded 21.
Just as everything was falling in place for the visitors for a perfect finish, Narine came to Kolkata’s rescue once again, sending both Maxwell (43; 22b, 4×4 3×6) and Saha (33; 25b, 0x4 2×6) back into the dug-out in the 17th over.
The home side pulled things back thereafter but a late surge from Miller ensured they posted a formidable total.